Why you should grin and bear life’s problems – it’s good for the heart

Grinning and bearing it gets us through many of life’s tricky situations.

But researchers have found smiling really does help reduce stress – and boost the health of the heart.

A study from the University of Kansas investigated the potential benefits of smiling by looking at how different types of smiling, and the awareness of smiling, affects a person’s ability to recover from episodes of stress.

Study author Tara Kraft said: ‘Age old adages, such as ‘grin and bear it’ have suggested smiling to be not only an important nonverbal indicator of happiness but also wishfully promotes smiling as a panacea for life’s stressful events.